MPavilion

When asked what needs to change in order for the process of architecture to be more meaningful and respectful of Indigenous peoples, a common answer is time. Time to undertake proper engagement processes. This forum will explore the concept of deep listening and what it means for the built environment. MPavilion’s third annual BLAKitecture forum brings together Indigenous built environment practit...

Join Sophie from Green Fleet, Kylie Lewis from Of Kin, Vanessa Petrie from Beyond Zero Emissions, Luke Taylor from the Sustainable Living Foundation to discuss what we can do in the face of the climate crisis. Powered by bicycles, the Climate Emergency Cinema invites you to experience a series of outdoor films at MPavilion celebrating the urgent grassroots action around climate change. Co-curated...

Revisit the second MPavilion book club of the season, with thoughts from Cher Tan, Jaclyn Crupi, Bridget Caldwell, Chris Somerville and Justine Hyde, who’ll each reflect on one of the five shortlisted titles: Act of Grace by Anna Krien, Damascus by Christos Tsiolkas, Simpson Returns by Wayne Macauley, The House of Youssef by Yumna Kassab and The Yield by Tara June Winch.

Revisit this MTalks exploring storytelling processes and speculating about how architecture, a form of storytelling in itself, can contribute to and work in harmony with Indigenous understandings of Country. Our interpretation of the world we live in is communicated through stories and narratives. We can’t separate ourselves from these stories in the same way we can from data and science. This pro...

The notion of neurodiversity—the breadth and difference in the ways we relate to our environments—raises a number of questions for spatial designers. How do different sensory modes enhance our understanding of the world? What approaches can designers use to engage with these diverse experiences, and how can this lead to more inclusive, higher-quality spatial environments? Revisit this panel discus...

Light is a crucial part of how we experience our surroundings, and lighting design brings this element into our homes, cities and shared spaces in particular ways. At its best, it can help us feel safe, empowered, convivial or enchanted; at its worst, it can engender unease or discomfort. But how can we better understand the ways in which light configures our worlds? And what do lighting designers...

Guerrilla gardening. Housing equality activism. Mural art. Revisit this panel discussion exploring the various forms of subtle urban subversion being performed by young people in and around Melbourne. This event was facilitated by Rachel Iampolski, Phd candidate at RMIT with research into intangible cultural heritage in urban spaces, and University of Melbourne design anthropology student Zane Pin...

Look back at this Q&A after the screening of Set the Tone: an online talk show conceived by Adier Maluk, Angeth Malual, Adior Deng and Yar Biar, young Australian women of South Sudanese descent driven to create a platform that speaks to them and their peers. The show is about shifting up the conversation, opening up points of view and challenging the status quo, creating a platform for young women...

Has technology caused us to lose the art of connection? Is loneliness a modern pandemic? If so, how do we cure it? How can we better reconnect? LIsten back to this very special Night of Better Conversation hosted by the much-loved School of Life, with friendly discussion about making friends and building relationships, and an exploration of the current state of connection. How can our failures mak...

Dive into this thought provoking podcast hosted by artist Eugenia Lim with leading thinkers and advocates from across the fields of labour and industrial relations, gig workers’ rights and the arts. This panel explores working in the digital age, and the impact of the gig economy on our relationships, rights, creativity and bodies. Speakers include Sarah Kaine, Associate Professor, School of Busin...

Revisit this 2-part discussion of how Melbourne is providing more open space for its growing population from micro and macro levels: first a case study of the newly opened Prahran Square, a $62M development undertaken by the City of Stonnington to transform a run-down car park into public open space, followed by a broader look at how Melbourne property leaders are incorporating open spaces into th...

Listen back to this talk, as guests Sui Zhen (Becky Freeman), Alicia Sometimes and Paul Gorrie address the theme Connection: Instruments of Harmonious Living—What does it mean to be human in connection with other humans and in connection with the universe?

How can we create this positive change together? How can we totally reimagine the development industry to realise its soft skills and human obligations to our growing population? Small Giants Developments brings together an array of perspectives that are bound by their intention to re-imagine how we live together. This panel conversation explores a future where developments are facilitators of vib...

We’ve all felt lonely at some stage, whether in a fleeting or ongoing capacity—it’s part of the human experience. Even so, why do many of us feel more isolated than ever, despite our unprecedented technological connectedness? And why are these feelings still so heavily stigmatised? Listen to this panel of experts and social-change pioneers discuss loneliness and explore what we can do to combat it...

Cross-cultural design often requires a set of protocols to maintain respect throughout the design process. What are these protocols from Indigenous perspective and how can they be embedded in the way we create the built environment? MPavilion’s third annual BLAKitecture forum brings together Indigenous built environment practitioners on the Yaluk-ut Weelam land of the Boon Wurrung people. The foru...

What is it like to paint a famous face? What relationship is formed between artist and sitter? And how does a painting go from blank canvas to winning the coveted Archibald Prize? Listen back to Archibald Prize 2019 winner Tony Costa and his subject, the renowned painter and sculptor Lindy Lee, for a deep dive into the artist studio.

Listen back to this interesting discussion with Art Gallery of NSW director Michael Brand, ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott, and Archibald Prize 2016 winner Louise Hearman on the Prize’s place in global art economies and what winning the Prize means in real terms for an artist’s career.

Narrm/Melbourne, editor and writer Sally Olds and Kōtare (fka DJ Sezzo) present the 88th WRITING & CONCEPTS talk reflection on texts contemplating the liminal space of queer expression and sensory experience within club culture. WRITING & CONCEPTS is a lecture and publication series exploring the insights that visual arts practitioners have in to their own creative and cultural practices, and prov...

The ‘Australian Dream’ of a freestanding house on a quarter-acre block was popularised in the 1950s and iconised by Howard Arkley in Suburban Home (1993). However, for many people, that dream is no longer affordable, sustainable nor capable of supporting contemporary households. This panel looks at alternative models of housing that either provide, or have potential to provide, meaningful addition...

In 2019 the Louvre Pyramid by Chinese-American architect I.M Pei turned thirty. Designed as a contemporary art installation, the pyramid is nowadays a landmark of the Parisian museum—but it was also one of the most controversial cultural projects of François Mitterrand’s presidency. Since, the Louvre Pyramid has been accepted and embraced, and now houses art installations that look back on this co...

In a Smart City, how will we identify people, organisations and things in the digital realm? How will we decide who, and what, to trust? Will we have choice and agency? Join an expert panel of futurists, designers and creative thinkers exploring 'the Smart City', highlighting barriers and benefits of a future where our identifying documents and objects are digital, sharing facts and fictions aroun...

Listen to this panel discussion about critical issues for our future cities: approaching climate change from a place of positivity. This talk was recorded as part of the Assemble Papers 'Living Closer Together Symposium: Future Legacies' a series of discussions exploring the intersection of design, action and community.

Listen to this future-focused panel discussion about Smart Cities: what does innovation look like in the 21st century? This talk was recorded as part of the Assemble Papers 'Living Closer Together Symposium: Future Legacies' a series of discussions exploring the intersection of design, action and community.

Listen to this future-focused panel discussion about citizen-lead housing projects, as part of the Assemble Papers 'Living Closer Together Symposium: Future Legacies' a series of discussions exploring the intersection of design, action and community.

Revisit this panel discussion with Amelia Wallin, Edition Office, Mark Feary, Mathieu Briand and Megan Cope, as they investigate the possible guidelines and outcomes for the creation of contemporary art spaces, and explore the important relationship between architects and the contemporary Australian arts ecology: How is a contemporary narrative suggested through architecture and design? What is th...